RJC Statement Regarding Palestinian “Rights”

The Republican Jewish Coalition responded to remarks made by Special Assistant to the President Jason D. Greenblatt in an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff, on the Trump Administration’s efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

We commend the Trump Administration and Special Representative Jason Greenblatt for their commitment to peace and to a secure and prosperous life for both Israelis and Palestinians.

America’s founders held this to be true: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is true, then, that both Palestinians and Israelis have those rights. Israel has a government that protects those rights for its citizens; the Palestinians, sadly, do not. That is the true impediment to peace in the region.

When Palestinian leaders recognize – in word and deed – the right of Israel to exist as a secure, sovereign, Jewish state in its ancestral homeland, there can be negotiations. When the Palestinian leaders and people are prepared to be a partner in the tough negotiations necessary to resolve the conflict, there can be peace.

The Trump administration has dedicated tremendous effort to fostering an environment in which the inalienable rights of the Palestinians can be realized, for the benefit of generations to come on both sides of the current conflict. We support their efforts and call on the Palestinian leadership to do what is right and necessary to establish security, peace, and prosperity for the Palestinian people.